Quote:
One of the great loves of my life is the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. Its focus on developing leaders of character for the global challenges of tomorrow demands that we continue to advance as we preserve what makes Aggieland so unique.
Today is the last day as the Commandant.
I look back on my time as the Commandant with joy and satisfaction. The opportunity to give back what the Corps gave to me has been captured in the commissioning of our nation's newest officers, the hiring of leaders across industry and public service, and the path opened to of those continuing their education.
I want to thank the Cadets for their trust, confidence, and their commitment to the future of our state and nation. You make me very proud.
Effective today the torch of the Commandant will pass to another. It is time for new ideas and a new direction. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve Aggieland. -- Patrick Michaelis
Aggie Corps Commandant
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Last: 3 mo ago by Aggie Therapist
Wow. Punched before FOW week was even over….
He didn't make a year, did he?
The rest of the Corps and fish will find out at 10 am. Today will go down as the first step that cadets hopefully get their Corps back.
To whichever power players made this happen: THANK YOU, but also, please keep up the engagement to ensure QUALITY replacements with corrected equipment incentive structures.
He was named commandant July 19, 2022. He started October 1, 2022.
Apparently Michaelis removed Air Out, among other pretty questionable changes.
Get Off My Lawn said:
To whichever power players made this happen: THANK YOU, but also, please keep up the engagement to ensure QUALITY replacements with correctedequipmentincentive structures.
Adios!!
Good Day.
Hopefully he takes his sycophants with him.
Makes one wonder just exactly what was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Looks like he might have gotten a new job as special assistant to the university president? Not sure if that's a real job or not.
Also, I find it weird that individuals from the classes in the 90s are now retired flag officers that could be eligible.
Although, do we need a flag officer? Would an O6 work? Or do we need parity with other schools that have flag officers?
Also, I find it weird that individuals from the classes in the 90s are now retired flag officers that could be eligible.
Although, do we need a flag officer? Would an O6 work? Or do we need parity with other schools that have flag officers?
Chip Utterback '75 is the interim and is a retired AF 3 star
There was a policy decision made some years ago that A&M Commandants would be of flag rank.... for exactly the reason you gave. Most, if not all, of the other SMC commandants are flag officers.bigtruckguy3500 said:
Looks like he might have gotten a new job as special assistant to the university president? Not sure if that's a real job or not.
Also, I find it weird that individuals from the classes in the 90s are now retired flag officers that could be eligible.
Although, do we need a flag officer? Would an O6 work? Or do we need parity with other schools that have flag officers?
And it sounds like Ramirez was relieved of duties today too.
Very weird.
Very weird.
Chaos is reality, clarity is the goal, simplicity is a choice.
Where did you see that about Ramirez?
Yes, to the powers that be, thank you!
D2F1D0 said:
And it sounds like Ramirez was relieved of duties today too.
Very weird.
No knowledge on whether Ramirez was impacted today or not but think he was looking to retire some time ago.
Past president convinced him to stick around.
my son was in C2 and the word was that flight of the great pumpkin was on the chopping block as wellthe_batman26 said:
Apparently Michaelis removed Air Out, among other pretty questionable changes.
they didn't let them paint their faces this year, they had to wear masks.
Prexys Moon said:my son was in C2 and the word was that flight of the great pumpkin was on the chopping block as wellthe_batman26 said:
Apparently Michaelis removed Air Out, among other pretty questionable changes.
they didn't let them paint their faces this year, they had to wear masks.
It's on the chopping block every year. And on occasion is chopped.
Wonder what the deal with face painting was though.
NICU Dad said:D2F1D0 said:
And it sounds like Ramirez was relieved of duties today too.
Very weird.
No knowledge on whether Ramirez was impacted today or not but think he was looking to retire some time ago.
Past president convinced him to stick around.
Wouldn't blame him if he wanted to. I think he hit his 10 year mark a couple of years ago. Now he's set to get military and A&M retirement checks.
Ramirez started in October of 2010.
bigtruckguy3500 said:
Looks like he might have gotten a new job as special assistant to the university president? Not sure if that's a real job or not.
Also, I find it weird that individuals from the classes in the 90s are now retired flag officers that could be eligible.
Although, do we need a flag officer? Would an O6 work? Or do we need parity with other schools that have flag officers?
Isn't that job usually reserved for coaches that are no longer producing but that you can't exactly fire?
AggieBaseball06 said:bigtruckguy3500 said:
Looks like he might have gotten a new job as special assistant to the university president? Not sure if that's a real job or not.
Also, I find it weird that individuals from the classes in the 90s are now retired flag officers that could be eligible.
Although, do we need a flag officer? Would an O6 work? Or do we need parity with other schools that have flag officers?
Isn't that job usually reserved for coaches that are no longer producing but that you can't exactly fire?
We haven't done that since RC
Skip the interim part and make him commandant.AggieFNP said:
Chip Utterback '75 is the interim and is a retired AF 3 star
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. Ecclesiastes 10:2
aghistory said:
Ramirez started in October of 2010.
Which lines up with the poster saying he wanted to retire a few years back and the 10 years of service I mentioned.
Don't know if that's what's happening here, but in the regular military, when a high ranking commander (O6 or above) is relieved of duty (due to "lack of confidence" in their leadership), they are usually assigned as a special assistant to some 2 star or higher level command.bigtruckguy3500 said:
Looks like he might have gotten a new job as special assistant to the university president? Not sure if that's a real job or not.
Also, I find it weird that individuals from the classes in the 90s are now retired flag officers that could be eligible.
Although, do we need a flag officer? Would an O6 work? Or do we need parity with other schools that have flag officers?
As a retired USAF 4 star, President Welsh would be quite familiar with the use of that verbiage.
Martin Cash said:Skip the interim part and make him commandant.AggieFNP said:
Chip Utterback '75 is the interim and is a retired AF 3 star
If he is class of 75, wouldn't that make him over 70? Would he want a commitment like this at that age and should A&M be OK knowing that someone might be just a short term non interim option?
D2F1D0 said:
And it sounds like Ramirez was relieved of duties today too.
Very weird.
Can you provide details or a source?
Aggie1205 said:Martin Cash said:Skip the interim part and make him commandant.AggieFNP said:
Chip Utterback '75 is the interim and is a retired AF 3 star
If he is class of 75, wouldn't that make him over 70? Would he want a commitment like this at that age and should A&M be OK knowing that someone might be just a short term non interim option?
I'm against having 3-stars as commandant regardless of their age. There is a huge change in who becomes a 3-star (compared to a 1-star) and what their scope is. LTG Van Alstyne, in my opinion, was completely out of touch.
I'd prefer Colonels be considered. VMI, Norwich, and the Citadel all have Colonels pretty regularly.
The resignation of the commandant did not come as a surprise to members of TheRudderAssociation.org which has been monitoring, documenting and reporting to our members on this and other important campus events since its inception in 2020. From our perspective, the BOR gave the commandant ample opportunity to perform to stakeholders expectations. Three significant poor decisions in the past academic year had him on the hot seat and when the incoming fish class was smaller than last year's, it made it impossible for the president to continue to protect him.
The first strike against the commandant occurred in the fall when he and his staff targeted a high performing all-male unit in the Wing for a "hazing" investigation--despite the fact that they lost only one fish the entire year. The second strike was the much discussed "fish brigade" scheme, clearly intended to curtail outfit identity. The third strike was the surreptitious attempt to make the cadet restrooms transgender friendly while drastically REDUCING the number of available showers--at a cost to tuition and taxpayers of more than 850k EACH (not a typo). When it became clear that there had also been a failure to execute an effective recruiting strategy, the BOR acted decisively and appropriately.
As I've learned in my two years as president of The Rudder Association, it will only be a matter of time until the next campus WTF moment. So if you want to be a member of the only true "watch dog" organization for this campus, believe in our Core Values, and want to fight to preserve our traditions, we welcome you.
The first strike against the commandant occurred in the fall when he and his staff targeted a high performing all-male unit in the Wing for a "hazing" investigation--despite the fact that they lost only one fish the entire year. The second strike was the much discussed "fish brigade" scheme, clearly intended to curtail outfit identity. The third strike was the surreptitious attempt to make the cadet restrooms transgender friendly while drastically REDUCING the number of available showers--at a cost to tuition and taxpayers of more than 850k EACH (not a typo). When it became clear that there had also been a failure to execute an effective recruiting strategy, the BOR acted decisively and appropriately.
As I've learned in my two years as president of The Rudder Association, it will only be a matter of time until the next campus WTF moment. So if you want to be a member of the only true "watch dog" organization for this campus, believe in our Core Values, and want to fight to preserve our traditions, we welcome you.
The Beagle '90
This 3 star is just interim. Another challenge in a Colonel is that the PMS and other branch leaders are Colonels. So you would have at least 3 colonels working for a colonel. And if I'm not mistaken, the PMS and peers are still active military when they work for a retired military. So being the same rank could be a challenge.
oldag941 said:
This 3 star is just interim. Another challenge in a Colonel is that the PMS and other branch leaders are Colonels. So you would have at least 3 colonels working for a colonel. And if I'm not mistaken, the PMS and peers are still active military when they work for a retired military. So being the same rank could be a challenge.
But the PMS/PNS/PAS do not work for the corps commandant. They certainly work WITH the commandant on issues like training schedules (e.g., please don't schedule a weekend FTX on a football game weekend) and recruiting strategies, but the service heads work for their respective service professional education departments (the PMS works for Army Cadet Command at Fort Knox). The commandant has no authority over the ROTC heads, he's just a university employee not a military employee
Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. I could still see a perhaps, challenging dynamic if they were all the same rank, but to your point, the true authority would be a different chain of command. Lots of dotted lines on the org chart probably.
Is this the same hazing incident as the one in this article?Quote:
The first strike against the commandant occurred in the fall when he and his staff targeted a high performing all-male unit in the Wing for a "hazing" investigation--despite the fact that they lost only one fish the entire year.
https://www.kbtx.com/2023/12/12/lawsuit-alleges-degrading-humiliating-hazing-acts-within-am-corps-cadets/